After a bit of a break for dragon-filled urban fantasy adventures, I’ve returned to high fantasy. I’m bringing you an all-new world, characters, and intelligent furry creatures who like to kick ass when they’re not busy mooching honey. đ
Shadows of Winter is the first novel in what will be The Curse and the Crown high-fantasy series. Inspired by my childhood love of Beauty and the Beast (many versions!), it has adventure, mystery, andâof courseâromance. The enemies-to-snarky-friends-to-eventually-lovers type. My favorite, as regular readers know!
The ebook comes out on Amazon on May 23rd, and the paperback will be available in numerous stores. Podium Audio is producing the audiobooks for this series, and I just sent them the final manuscript last week, so I am expecting their release of Shadows of Winter toward the fall.
The ebook is available here:
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Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Winter-Curse-Lindsay-Buroker-ebook/dp/B0D21R5D8L
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Amazon AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/Shadows-Winter-Curse-Lindsay-Buroker-ebook/dp/B0D21R5D8L
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Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Shadows-Winter-Curse-Lindsay-Buroker-ebook/dp/B0D21R5D8L
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Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shadows-Winter-Curse-Lindsay-Buroker-ebook/dp/B0D21R5D8L
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Amazon DE: https://www.amazon.de/Shadows-Winter-Curse-Lindsay-Buroker-ebook/dp/B0D21R5D8L
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Amazon FR: https://www.amazon.fr/Shadows-Winter-Curse-Lindsay-Buroker-ebook/dp/B0D21R5D8L
If you’d like to try before you buy, I’ve included the first three chapters below. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 1
Beneath the mountains of Evardor, winterâs shadows forever linger.
     ~ âSpring Cowersâ by Erazidar the Poet
âItâs magnificent.â Kaylina clasped her hands and gazed enraptured at the dilapidated stone inn.
The walls were cracked and crumbling, seagull droppings spattered the rusty gate, and cracks wide enough to swallow stray cats plagued what she could see of the courtyard, but the location was perfect. Only ten blocks from Kingâs Cliff, with the Stillguard River flowing behind it, the fortified structure would draw all kinds of foot traffic. She wagered there was a view of the harbor from theâ
âItâs a castle,â her younger brother, Frayvar, said. âWeâre not fortifying ourselves to withstand sieges and invading armies. Weâre starting a meadery.â
âDonât forget the eating house. I saw how many cookbooks you brought.â Kaylina waved to the trunks theyâd rolled up from the harbor on a rickety cart. As it had clattered over the cobblestones, getting stuck in ruts, horse droppings, and mounds of semi-cleared snow, sheâd briefly lamented the number of romance and adventure novels sheâd brought along, but a girl couldnât be bereft on a long trip. âOur diners will feel safe and protected while they enjoy our offerings. This is the rugged north. People here probably insist on a secure place to eat.â
âAre you suggesting our diners will require an eating house containing both murder holes and machicolations?â
âOf course.â
Machio-what?
Frayvar sighed. âThereâs no way we can afford the rent on a place this big.â
âYou might be surprised.â The graying land agent theyâd found in the market square smiled warmly as pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages and wagons passed on the boulevard behind them, the people casting curiousâor were those waryâlooks in their direction. âItâs been centuries since the Stillguard Inn went out of business, and the castle has been vacant for most of that time.â
Frayvar nudged a section of the courtyard wall with his boot, and the crumbling mortar gave way, a stone falling. âKay, all we need is a dining room, a kitchen, a lavatory, and a well out back. Not this⌠monstrosity.â
A red-breasted bird chirped from a great oak rising at the corner of the property, the dark skeletal branches in contrast to the icy snow-smothered mountains towering beyond the city. It flew down and landed on Kaylinaâs shoulder.
She pointed to it. âThis is a good omen, right?â
âAnimals befriend you everywhere,â Frayvar said. âIf anything, itâs probably trying to warn you that this is a bad idea.â
The birdâs head rotated toward Kaylina, toward the castle, and toward her again. It emitted a concerned cheep.
Was Frayvar right?
No, Kaylina refused to believe that. The bird flew off when she lifted her arms and faced the castle, her dream so intense that she had no trouble envisioning it. Their meadery would be an extension of the family business that thrived far to the south, a chance to bring their food and drink to Port Jirador, the capital of the Zaldor Kingdom. It would be visited by lords and ladies and maybe the queen herself. People rich and poor would flock to taste mead crafted from Grandpaâs exquisite honey using Grandmaâs recipes. Kaylina would bring pride to the family name of Korbian, and everyone would realize she wasnât a screwup. She had what it took to build a successful business of her own, to find the contentment that had eluded her at home where others were always telling her what to do.
âImagine it, Frayvar,â she breathed when she realized she was babbling the details of her vision aloud. âCan you see it?â
âNo. I donât hallucinate the way you do.â
Kaylina lowered her arms, frustrated, not for the first time, that Grandma had sent him to tag along and keep an eye on her.
âI donât hallucinate,â she snapped. âI have dreams of what can be, what will be.â
âDreams that you see when your eyes are open.â Frayvar turned to the land agent. âWhat is the cost of leasing this⌠establishment, and will repairs be included?â
âCertainly, certainly. With an acceptably lengthy lease agreement of course. No fewer than ten years.â
Kaylina gaped. Ten years? Was that normal? That was almost half her life.
âCommercial lease agreements in the kingdom are typically three to five years,â Frayvar said with certainty.
Given how much nonfiction he read, Kaylina suspected he knew that for a fact.
âYes, but this is prime territory alongside the river and near the royal castle and the harbor. It also has a view of the mountains. Very desirable. Just yesterday, I had someone interested in leasing it, but he would only commit to five years. I was forced to pass. The landowner wants a longer contract.â
âHow much is the rent?â Kaylina asked.
âAll this can be yours for two thousand liviti a month.â The land agent winked at her, ignoring her brother.
âHow much was it before my sister said itâs magnificent?â Frayvar asked.
Kaylina grimaced. He was right. She shouldnât have been so transparent when they had to negotiate.
âItâs perfect for your needs. Very spacious.â The agent smiled, not answering Frayvarâs question. âAssuming you do indeed have funds? Youâre young for this endeavor, arenât you?â
He eyed Kaylina, her raven hair swept back in a ponytail, and considered her trousers, tunic, parka, and low boots. The clothes were practical for travel, if not the most feminine garments she might have chosen. At least sheâd cleaned off the grime of the sea voyage in a washbasin that morning. Sheâd anticipated having to prove that she was serious, capable, and not without coin.
Her brother⌠She hadnât been able to talk him out of wearing his rumpled hemp shirt with missing buttons and a fluffy prancing taybarri embroidered on the front. The noble creatures, ridden into battle by the elite royal rangers, were fierce, not fluffy. Admittedly, taybarri were rare in the south, and sheâd only seen them from a distance, but the history books promised ferocity.
âIâm twenty-one,â Kaylina said, âand my brother is a very old and crotchety seventeen.â Despite the furry blue creatures prancing across his chest.
âYoung for starting a business,â the agent said.
âRangers are recruited to risk their lives and protect the kingdom as early as sixteen,â she pointed out.
âRangers are chosen, not recruited.â The agent glanced up and down the street, then asked again, âDo you have funds?â
âYes,â Frayvar said.
He was the one whoâd brought a purse. Kaylina, whoâd left in more of a hurryâor, as Mom would call it, a huffâthan she wanted to admit, had planned to work for someone else to save up funds for the first few months. As much as she hated having her younger brother watch over her, his coin would be helpful.
âWe also have Grandpaâs special yeast and honeycomb.â Kaylina patted one of the trunks.
A squawk came from a tower, and three pigeons flew out, complaining about something. Unlike the other, these birds werenât inclined to visit her shoulder. One pooped on the walkway three feet from them before flapping away.
âYouâll want to clean that up before the queen arrives,â Frayvar told her.
âAs my assistant, you can handle that.â
âHilarious. Grandma sent me along to keep the books, prevent you from being swindled, and ensure her recipes are accurately represented.â
âAlso so you wouldnât be beaten up again by the Bustinor brothers.â Kaylina waved at his shirt, though it was more his spindly arms, gangly height, and tendency to wheeze and pass out that made him a target for bullies.
Frayvar lifted a finger, as if he might protest, but he only sighed and added, âOr the Bustinor sisters.â
âCraters of the moon, theyâre worse than the brothers.â
âTell me about it.â
After another glance down the street, the agent gestured at the castle. âWhy donât you look around the property while you think about it? Iâll wait here and find my paperwork in case you decide youâre interested.â He patted a brown satchel.
It wouldnât hurt to check the place out.
Smiling as her vision wafted through her mind again, Kaylina leaped the cracks of the courtyard and jogged to the double doors leading into the keep. The stout wood creaked as she pushed one side open. She almost ran through a grand vestibule and into a great hall with wrought-iron chandeliers hanging from high ceiling beams. This would be a wonderful place to seat diners.
Dust tickled her nose as she stumbled into cobwebs hanging from those beams, but she didnât care. Already, she could see the hall cleaned up and full of tables, every patron sipping her mead and proclaiming its brilliance.
An archway led to a smaller room with cabinets and counters. They could put the mead-making equipment there, and she could give talks about the process. Demonstrations. And was that a kitchen beyond? A huge kitchen.
âLook, Fray.â Kaylina spun a pirouette before pointing. âThereâs room for all your pots and pans, and I bet thereâs a huge pantry. Once weâre successful, you can buy every spice in the world. And you can spend your days gleefully organizing and reorganizing the jars, an activity Iâm positive you love as much as cooking.â
âI donât love cooking.â Sneezes came from behind her, announcing her brother following, though his watering eyes might be keeping him from seeing her vision. âI got into it because Iâm allergic to everything, and I have trust issues about taking food from strangers.â
âAnd family.â
âFamily who arenât meticulous in the kitchen, yes. Silana has tried to poison me three times.â
âShe gave you nutmeg.â
âPoison.â He sneezed again.
His dourness couldnât make Kaylinaâs vision falter or still the energy humming through her. She couldnât wait to sign that lease and take ownership of this place, to clean it up andâ
The heavy front door slammed shut, the thud echoing from the stone walls.
Had that been⌠the wind?
As if in response to her thought, a creepy draft whispered across the back of Kaylina’s neck, sending a chill to her core. With her instincts warning her of danger, she ran to the front door and tried to open it. It didnât budge.
âThat guy locked us in?â Kaylina darted to a window as tall as she, heavy shutters covering it. She grunted as she tried to open one. âDo you still have your purse?â
Coins jangled.
âYes, but we left our trunks out there.â Frayvarâs voice lowered. âIâll bet he set us up to be robbed. I knew he wasnât legitimate.â
âIf you knew that, why didnât you say something back at the market?â Again, Kaylina pushed at the shutter, but it didnât move.
âI didnât know until he quoted the rate. Iâm not that good at reading people. You know that. Youâre supposed to have a womanâs intuition.â
âYouâre thinking of Silana. I haveâŚâ What? If Kaylina knew, maybe she wouldnât have felt compelled to make this journey to prove herself.
âSchemes.â
âDreams.â
A clank came from the back of the castle. The kitchen? It sounded like someone had kicked a pot. Someone sneaking through the shadows to waylay them?
âI hope they can defend us from thieves and cutthroats.â Frayvar turned toward the kitchen.
Kaylina reached for her belt, for the only weapon besides her utility knife that she carried. But the sling was for hunting grouse, not braining thieves. If it hadnât been a gift from Grandpa, she might not have brought it, but sheâd wanted it in case she didnât get to go home again for a long time.
Behind them, the shutters flew open. Light shone in around the blue-furred head of a towering taybarri, its soft floppy ears contrasting with the fangs revealed when its jaws parted. Its breath steamed into the room, fogging the cold air.
Kaylina stumbled back, screaming before she caught herself.
The creatureâs large nostrils twitched. Because it was sniffing her? Because she smelled like dinner? What did taybarri like to eat?
Appearing far different from the image on her brotherâs shirt, the long-bodied, four-legged beings were supposed to be at home on the Plains of Tiardia, where their height, greater than that of a horse, allowed them to see over the tall blue grasses and stalk prey as they swished their thick, long tails behind them. The stories said those tails were as much weapons as their claws, fangs, and flash magic. Their floppy ears made them look cute when they were at rest, but when the taybarri sprang into battle, even the fearsome Karâruk warriors scattered.
This one leaned closer, its jaws parting farther. The fangs drew Kaylinaâs gaze, almost mesmerizing her. The taybarriâs nostrils twitched again, but it didnât look at her face or what might be her delicious torso. Instead, it peered over her shoulder to her pack.
Kaylina pulled it off and set it on the floor, thinking the taybarri might want the handful of snacks sheâd taken from the galley before they disembarked. Or maybe the creature smelled her grandfatherâs honey. Not fully trusting that the trunks wouldnât be lost, she had stashed some in her pack. But would something with that many fangs eat sweets? Those teeth and that powerful jaw had to be for tearing meat from bones.
As its head dipped toward the pack, Kaylina noticed the rider for the first time.
When she met the icy blue eyes of the pale-skinned man, she didnât grow any more certain of her fate. He wasnât much older than she and might have been handsome once, with a square jaw, straight nose, and cleft chin, but one of three parallel scars pulled down his left eye at the corner. Marks made by claws? His short red-brown hair was trimmed so close that it revealed more scars on his scalp. They also looked like theyâd been left by an animal rather than a blade.
Dressed in the black leather armor of a ranger, he had to be one of the fabled protectors of the kingdom, and she shouldnât have needed to fear him. His face was cold and distant but not cruel, and he sat calmly on his mount, barely stirring. Even so, her instincts warned her of something dangerous about him, not only dangerous to enemies of the kingdom but to her.
âI am Lord Vlerion,â he stated with little inflection. It reminded her of her brotherâs tone, especially when Frayvar was tired and not putting effort into being expressive, but the coldness in the rangerâs eyes made his voice more menacing. Or maybe it was the fact that his hand rested on the hilt of a sword. âYou will come out of the castle.â
His taybarri shifted slightly, enough for her to see another standing in the courtyard, a strikingly handsome man mounted atop it. He also gripped the hilt of a sword, promising he was a threat as well. Despite his good looks, he regarded her with the same coolness as the other manâVlerion.
His taybarriâs jaws parted, and it looked at her like she was dinner. There was no curious sniffing. A wide pink tongue slid between its pointed teeth to wipe saliva from its jowls.
âActually, weâre in the middle of a tour.â Kaylina was proud that her voice didnât squeak. âMaybe you could speak withâŚâ She glanced at her brother. âWhat was his name?â
âNaybor,â Frayvar whispered.
âNaybor,â she repeated with a smile for Vlerion.
He didnât smile back. Something told her the guy never smiled.
The handsome ranger looked around, elegant blond eyebrows rising. âThereâs nobody else here.â
âYou will come out.â Vlerion held Kaylina’s gaze. âTrespassing on private property in Port Jirador is illegal.â His eyes closed to slits. âTrespassing with the intent to foment an insurrection is treason, punishable by death.â
Kaylina stared at him. Insurrection? What insurrection?
âWe just got here,â she blurted.
Maybe that wasnât a defense. Maybe if she had a minute, she could come up with something more articulate, but he didnât give her a minute.
âOnly the so-called virtuous cohort and their spies lurk around the cursed castle.â Vlerion drew a long sword, nicks along the blade promising it had seen frequent use. âAnd only the Virts have the motivation to murder unarmed aristocrats.â
âIââ
Murder? What was he talking about?
âIf you are not guilty, you will come out and explain yourselves,â Vlerion said. âIf you run, your guilt will be assumed.â
And Iâll kill you, his cold eyes said.
Would he enjoy it? Or remain as dispassionate throughout as he was sitting on his mount?
âThe front door is locked,â Kaylina remembered. âNaybor trapped us inside.â
âDuring your tour.â His flat tone made it a statement, not a question.
âBefore it started.â
âIt was a self-guided tour,â Frayvar said. âNayborâhe called himself a local land agentâtold us to check out the place. Weâre prospective tenants.â
Vlerionâs expression never changed, but his earlier words, cursed castle, made Kaylina think the idea of anyone renting this place was ludicrous. Maybe that was something the locals all knew.
âJankarr.â Vlerion looked to the other ranger.
He appeared to be older, but he bobbed his head and hopped down as if heâd been given an order by a superior. He trotted to the great oaken double doors and swung one open easily, as if its hinges had been oiled recently.
What in all the altered orchards? It had been locked a minute ago. Kaylina wasnât crazy. Sheâd checked.
âCome outside, Virts,â Jankarr called, âif you want a chance to defend yourselves.â
âDefend ourselves?â Frayvar whispered, walking hesitantly toward the door. âDoes he mean with weapons or words?â
Though she didnât want to go out, Kaylina had to watch out for her little brother, so she hurried to step in front of him. âYou know a lot more about words than weapons, so youâd better hope for that.â
âI know more about numbers than either.â
âYou want me to ask him to set up some math problems?â Kaylina crept warily toward the door, eyeing Jankarr, who held it open, as if he were a polite gentleman instead of a fearsome ranger who was also fondling his sword hilt.
âWould you?â Frayvar asked.
âMath isnât going to prove our innocence. Youââ
As Kaylina stepped out, a shadow moved to the side. Before she could so much as twitch, a sword swept in, the cool kiss of sharp steel touching her throat.
Fear slammed into her like a stake to the heart. She stared into Vlerionâs cold eyes, certain he had no idea who she was but equally certain he was going to kill her.
Chapter 2
Panic steals opportunity.
~ Lord General Avingatar
Vlerion didnât kill Kaylina. With his blade resting against her throat, he said, âWalk,â and jerked his chin toward a tower at the corner of the castle.
âWhen do we get to defend ourselves?â Kaylina held her hands out, not wanting to make trouble, but also not wanting to be run through for something she hadnât done. She glanced around as much as she dared with the blade touching her throat.
Jankarr was right. Their land agent was nowhere to be seen.
âWalk,â Vlerion repeated softly, shifting to stand beside Kaylina and grip her arm while keeping his sword against her throat.
âSince youâre being so polite about it, Iâd love to go anywhere with you. I can tell youâre a fantastic date.â
Something flashed in those cold blue eyes. Irritation? Maybe she was supposed to call him Lord Vlerion when she spoke and genuflect a few times at the end of each sentence.
âYou want me to bring the kid?â Jankarr asked.
âHe didnât murder anyone,â Vlerion said.
Though Kaylina was glad they were dismissing Frayvar as a non-threat, she couldnât help but blurt, âAnd you think I did? Is it the deadly sling I carry? Or the great brawn of my arms?â The blade at her throat continued to unnerve her, but Kaylina lifted her arms to show them off, though the parka sleeves hid their slenderness. âI got my muscles cleaning my grandmaâs big glass carboys, in case youâre wondering.â
Vlerion guided her around the corner of the tower without responding, though he glanced at her sling and the pouch of rounds that hung next to them. He couldnât think sheâd murdered someone with one of the lead balls.
âThat wasnât as much of an answer as you might think,â Jankarr called after them.
Vlerion didnât respond to that either, only walking Kaylina through the uneven courtyard that surrounded the keep, half-crumbled stones littering it. An eerie moan came from somewhere above, and a stone fell from the wall not ten feet in front of them. It hit the ground and broke into a dozen pieces.
Maybe the castle was cursed.
Vlerion lowered his sword, but the grip on Kaylinaâs arm remained, and he walked close, eyeing the wall ahead warily. She could almost feel the heat of his body in contrast to the frosty air. His muscles bulged against the seams of the black shirt under his armor, and she decided not to challenge him to an arm-wrestling match.
âI was more interested in a tour of the inside of the castle. Did I tell you weâre going to start a meadery? Though Iâm gathering this place might not be as for rent as Naybor said.â Kaylina walked obediently as Vlerion guided her around another tower at the back corner, but she decided to elaborate while she had a chance. âWeâre new to the city. We were cooped up on a ship for weeks to get here and just arrived a few hours ago. It was called the Windborn Taybarri. Maybe youâd like to check with the crew. Iâm sure someone can show you that our names were on the manifest, so we couldnât possibly be the spies or, uhm, murderers youâre looking for.â
Vlerion stopped at a back gatehouse that led out to a wide trail along the river, more skeletal trees stretching branches over water framed by several feet of ice along the banks. Thanks to a raised portcullis casting shadows, they didnât see the body lying in the gatehouse until they stopped in front of it.
Kaylina had never seen the pale-skinned, white-haired gentleman sprawled on his back on the ground, his eyes frozen open in death, but she gaped, stunned. Had this just happened? She remembered the rattle sheâd heard in the kitchen, but, with blood matting the side of his head, he looked to have been hit by a club or mace.
Vlerion glanced at her sling again.
She shook her head. A small lead round wouldnât have done that much damage. Vlerion couldnât possibly think sheâd done this.
Except⌠from his point of view, Kaylina and Frayvar were the only ones around. Unlike in the street out front, there was no foot traffic back here, nobody ambling along the river trail. Was that chance? Or did people avoid walking close to the cityâs cursed castle?
Aware of Vlerion watching herâjudging her guilt or innocence by her reaction?âKaylina shook her head again. âIâm sorry if he meant something to you, but I didnât have anything to do with this.â
âThe death of any kingdom subject means something to me.â Again, his words were without inflection, making it hard to tell if they were true, if he did care.
âIâm a kingdom subject,â she said.
âAre you?â Vlerionâs gaze flicked downward dismissively, not lingering on her curves, her brown skin, or her dark hair. He had to have taken in everything about her when his taybarri had been sniffing her through the window.
âI donât know if you read history books, but the kingdom annexed the southern region, including my island chain of Vamorka, more than a hundred years ago. Weâre all subjects now. Not only those of you who live up in the gold-mining, whale-hunting, frigid-most-of-the-year north.â
âI have read many history books.â His tone remained flat, and he didnât add way more than you in a snotty voice, but she heard it anyway.
âIâm a loyal subject, the same as you. I came to spread my familyâs business to the capital and make a name for myself.â
His gaze dropped to the dead man.
Kaylina grimaced, not knowing if Naybor had set her up, or if sheâd stumbled into a crime scene due to her own bad luck. The latter wouldnât surprise her much.
âIâm not a spy,â she added. âAnd Iâm absolutely not a murderer.â
âEven those who donât deliver the killing blow can watch the river for the approach of witnesses,â Vlerion said softly.
âListen, my name is Kaylina Korbian, and I told you the truth. My family is loyal to the king.â
Technically, her family was loyal to their kin, their customers, three out of the twelve moon gods, and their roots in the island community. But they paid their taxes and never made trouble for the lord who ruled in the kingâs name over their southern province.
âWeâll see.â After a grave nod for the fallen man, Vlerion turned Kaylina back toward the front of the castle. âBecause you were, at the least, present when a noble was murdered, Iâm taking you to jail. You may speak to the adjudicator about your ship and journey, and he can determine if you are a spy or not.â Vlerion paused before rounding the tower at the front corner, and his fingers tightened on her arm. âIf you assisted in the murder of one of the kingâs chosen tax collectors, I will slay you myself.â
âOh, goodie. I was afraid an underling with a shaky hand would do it.â
Something dark and dangerous sparked in his eyes, fire scorching away the ice. Kaylina stumbled, fear making her wish she could retract her words.
The fiery spark disappeared, and Vlerionâs cold facade returned.
Had she imagined the change? No. A shiver went through her, and she told herself to refrain from ticking him off. He had a temper. Who knew what he did when he exploded?
Kaylina hoped the adjudicator heâd mentioned cared enough about justice and the rights of kingdom subjects to research her story. She had told the truth, that her name was on the shipâs manifest. Thanks to the funds her brother had brought, theyâd both bought passage legally. When sheâd left on her own with scarcely any coin and only the honeycomb and yeast, sheâd planned to stow away or trade and barter her way here. Now, she was relieved that hadnât been necessary.
Vlerion guided her to the front doors to rejoin his comrade. Jankarr had his sword pointed vaguely in Frayvarâs direction but didnât appear worried about him. He smirked as he glanced at the taybarri shirt.
âWhat do you think, my lord?â Jankarr tilted his head toward the doorsâno, he was indicating the body out back.
Vlerion looked at Frayvar before giving Kaylina a long moment of consideration.
Though she bristled under the cool study, she kept her mouth shut, reminding herself she also wanted to be dismissed as a non-threat. And she wasnât a threat. Just because she came from the most recently annexed part of the kingdom didnât mean she cavorted with spies and murderers.
âI deem it unlikely they had anything to do with Lord Darringtarâs death,â Vlerion finally said. âI suspect they are the ignorant tourists that they claim to be.â
Kaylina bristled even moreâthey werenât ignorant because theyâd arrived that morning and hadnât been filled in on local threatsâbut Frayvar spoke before she could say anything unwise.
âYes.â
Jankarr snorted. âLet them go?â
âNo,â Vlerion said without hesitation. âWeâve been duped before by spies who appeared innocent. Weâll take them to the adjudicator for questioning.â He watched for Kaylina’s reaction when he added, âUnder the influence of kafdari root.â
While she scraped through her mind in an attempt to remember why that was familiar, Frayvar reacted. His eyes bulged with terror.
Confusion swept through Kaylina. Sheâd only seen him react that viscerally to the promise of some tincture or potion ifâ
Frayvar sprinted away, charging for the corner of the tower.
âShit,â Jankarr said, starting after him.
âStay with her.â Vlerionâs cool voice didnât change, but when he glanced at Kaylina, his eyes burned with the certainty that heâd unearthed a traitorâa spy.
âNo,â she blurted as he raced after Frayvar.
Vlerion drew his sword as he ran. By the moons, would he kill Frayvar?
Jankarr reached for Kaylina, but she dodged and sprinted after Vlerion, yanking out her sling. Terrified for her brother, she didnât consider the ramifications of using a weapon on a ranger.
With longer and stronger legs, Vlerion was seconds from catching up to Frayvar. Kaylina hurled one of her lead rounds, adjusting her target at the last instant from his back to his head. That leather armor would keep the round from doing any damage, and she had to stop him. She couldnât let him hurt her brother.
An arm wrapped around her from behind, yanking her off her feet. Not before she glimpsed her round slam into the back of Vlerionâs head. Hard.
Though the blow had to have hurt, he didnât slow down. He glanced back with ice in his eyes, ice and calculation as he doubtless reconsidered if she was capable of murdering someone.
âLeave him alone!â Kaylina yelled as she lost sight of Frayvar. âHe didnât do anything.â
Jankarr flipped her around to face him, then slung her over his shoulder. He ripped her sling from her hand.
A cry of pain came from Frayvar. Vlerion had caught him. Caught him or worse?
Jerking and twisting, Kaylina tried to escape, but the ranger had her pinned. Her knee thudded against his chest, but the leather armor might as well have been steel for all the good her blows did.
Her captor headed back to the front of the castle, toting her like a sack of potatoes.
âJankarr, when I said watch her, I assumed that would also imply you should keep her from attacking me,â Vlerion said calmly from a few steps behind.
Kaylina twisted enough to see under her captorâs armpit. Vlerion gripped his sword in one hand and used the other to grasp Frayvarâs arm and force him to walk with him, the same as heâd done with her moments before. There wasnât any blood on that blade, but it was hard to tell from Frayvarâs red face if heâd been hurt. His eyes remained wide, panic making the whites visible around his pupils.
âI wanted to see if she could use that sling.â Jankarr sounded amused.
âEffectively.â Vlerion grimaced when he touched the back of his head. When he considered Kaylina again, that cold calculation remained in his eyes.
Her heart pounded in her eardrums as she realized heâd reclassified her from not-a-threat to dangerous. And capable of being a spy, if not a murderer.
How had things gone so wrong so quickly?
Chapter 3
Give the traitor enough freedom to condemn himself.
     ~ King Gavatorin the Elder
The cold of the stone bench seeped through Kaylinaâs parka and trousers, numbing her body, as heartless as the glacier-filled mountains looming behind the city. Common sense told her to stand up, move around, and figure out how to get out of the cell. Instead, her treacherous mind fixated on the confrontation with the rangers, on what she should have said to Vlerion, on how she shouldnât have lost her temper, on how, on how, on howâ
âItâs not my fault,â Frayvar said for the fifth time. âKafdari root is from the altered myristica fragrans tree.â
âI know,â Kaylina murmured.
She hadnât known when the rangers had spoken of it, but Frayvar had been apologizing and explaining ever since theyâd been locked in the cell.
âItâs magical,â he said, âlike all altered plants are, but thatâs not the problem. Itâs from the same tree as nutmeg and mace. That means Iâm almost certainly allergic to it. If they make me ingest it, I could die.â
âI know.â
âThey execute spies and traitors.â Frayvar paced as he spoke. Five steps to one wall. A thump as he pushed off it with his hands. Five steps to the other. Thump.
Kaylina did her best not to find the thumps irritating. Better to be with her brother than alone. âI know that too.â
âWe have to figure a way out of here.â
âYeah.â She stared up at the dark ceiling. A single north-facing window high on the stone wall let in little light.
âUnless we get an adjudicator whoâs much more reasonable than the rangers, we could be put to death by sunset.â
âYeah.â
âYou know I normally find solace in obeying laws and rules, since theyâre barometers for whatâs socially appropriate behavior, but in this case, I think we have to break out of jail, escape back to the south, and hope the rangers have more pressing concerns than coming after us.â
Back to the south⌠as failures.
Kaylina grimaced at the cobwebs in the corner of the shadowy ceiling. Sheâd come to prove herself. How, after less than a day here, could she already be defeated?
No, she wasnât defeated. She couldnât give up yet. She had to do something. But what? Her earlier energy had faded, and intense fatigue bound her to the bench as surely as chains.
âKaylina.â Frayvar halted, spun toward her, and planted his fists on his hips. âThis isnât a logical time for one of your funks.â
âIs there ever a logical time for a funk?â she murmured.
âWhen weâre not about to be executed.â His voice squeaked like it had when heâd been thirteen.
When she met his imploring eyes, he didnât look much older than that now. He was still gangly and frail, a target for bullies. For an asshole lord who thought nothing of slamming him to the ground with his overly muscled weight.
Protective anger simmered, helping to push back the malaise. Kaylina sat up, swinging her legs to the floor. âDo you have any ideas for escaping?â
âYouâre the schemer.â
âYeah, but youâreââ
A scream interrupted her, sending a chill down her spine. It came from one of the other cells theyâd passed on the way in. A prisoner being questioned? Being tortured?
The scream faded and didnât repeat. Kaylina found that more ominous than promising.
âYouâre the one whoâs read every encyclopedia and textbook in the town library,â she said quietly. âDidnât any of them discuss jailbreaks?â
âIn nonfiction, that comes up less often than youâd think.â Frayvar eyed the iron bars of the window. âMetal contracts when itâs cold and expands with heat, which can break or at least loosen bonds. Unfortunately, the inconsiderate guards didnât give us a torch.â
âThese northerners are a rude lot.â
âExtremely.â
Kaylina rose and tried to get her sluggish brain thinking. It was hard. For the whole journey, sheâd been on a cloud, planning what she would do when they arrived, lying awake nights, her brain too busy for sleep. But that alertness had been knocked out of her, as if sheâd been the one to take a lead ball to the head.
âYou can do this,â she whispered to herself.
Kaylina didnât think she was a schemerâmaybe a dreamerâbut she would do what she could. She walked to the door and knocked, the cold oak so dense it hurt her knuckles.
What she would say if someone answered, she didnât know, but she had to barter and negotiate if at all possible. She couldnât let Frayvar be killed because of her dream.
Nobody answered. She pressed her ear to the door. Was anyone on guard in the corridor?
âIâm sorry Grandma sent you after me,â she told Frayvar in case there wasnât a chance later. In case she couldnât negotiate his freedom. âWhen I leftââ fled, the insidious part of her mind inserted, ââI didnât think anyone would come after me. After what I said to her⌠Well, you were there.â Kaylina rubbed her face, regret lurking. Always lurking.
Frayvar looked toward the window. âGrandma didnât send me.â
âWas it Mom?â
âNo. Nobody.â
âWhat do you mean? You told me the family sent you.â
âI lied, Kaylina. I canât believe you didnât see through it. Iâm a horrible liar.â
âWell, Iâm used to you not looking me in the eyes, so I didnât think anything of it.â
He snorted. âI thought you would need someone to keep the books, to be the practical one, and to help make your business successful. I also worried you were in over your head. The north is harder than the south.â He glanced at the bars in the window and the thick stone walls. The jail in their town back home was made from bamboo, the roof from reeds. âBesides, I owe you. Youâve⌠youâve always watched out for me. Itâs not like the rest of the family doesnât, but Grandma is the only one who gets me. Her and you.â
âI donât get you either, but youâre my brother.â
âI guess thatâs sufficient. I appreciate you trying to keep that hulking troglodyte from pummeling me.â
âAny time. If the family didnât send you, whereâd you get the seed money?â
âItâs my savings.â
âTwelve gods, Fray.â Kaylina slumped against the door. Now, she really had to get her brother out of there. âDid you tell Mom you were coming? Grandma? Anyone?â
âI left a note.â
Yeah, that was his style. No direct confrontation.
Kaylina couldnât blame him. Confrontations tended to escalate, even with those you loved. Or especially with those you loved.
âDid you leave a note? Or was it an essay detailing the reasons for your departure over multiple pages?â She tried to smile for him, certain she already knew the answer.
Frayvar hesitated. âThere were multiple pages. There was also a business plan. And a pro forma.â
âI donât know what that is.â
âA financial statement calculating potential earnings based on projections and presumptions.â
âSo, it was the typical runaway letter.â Her second smile was more genuine, though the weight of responsibility threatened to send her back to the bench. More than ever, she felt it was her duty to keep him safe.
Rising on tiptoes, she checked the bars in the window, attempting to twist them. Their coldness bit into her palms. She supposed blowing hot air on them wouldnât be enough for Frayvarâs expansion of metal.
âMay I ask you something?â he asked with more diffidence than usual.
âYup.â
âIs this adventure truly about proving yourself⌠or is it about Domas?â
âIt has nothing to do with him.â
Liar, her mind accused, a memory rearing up like an angry horse. Domas backing away from their bed with a blanket around his waist and scowling. âWhat is wrong with you? You look so normal.â
Heâd said that more than once when theyâd been together. You look so normal.
Strangely damning words. Like if sheâd been born clubfooted with four eyes, her mood swings, her funks, as Frayvar called them, might have been more acceptable.
Kaylina shook her head, reluctant, as always, to open up to anyone, even family members. But Frayvar had come clean to her. Didnât she owe it to him to tell the truth? Especially now?
âSilana said it was,â he added.
Silana. Their always-smiling older sister who had a husband, two daughters, and happiness and contentment others could only aspire to.
âShe wasnât there,â was all Kaylina said.
âDomas broke up with you, though, right?â
âIt was mutual.â
âA simultaneous and equally desired agreement to part ways?â Frayvar sounded skeptical for someone with zero experience with relationships. Maybe logic prompted the question rather than intuition.
âSomething like that. Breaking up might have been what prompted the timing of me leaving, but it wasnât everything. For years, Iâve had this dream.â
âSo, it was the catalyst,â Frayvar said.
âSure.â
Leave it to him to use a vocabulary word to describe her emotional outbursts.
Some intuition took Kaylina to the door again, and she pressed her ear against it. Footsteps sounded in the corridor.
âSomeoneâs coming,â she whispered.
âWeâll tell them the truth once more. Calmly, so theyâll take us seriously.â
âItâs hard to get people to take you seriously when thereâs nobody behind you.â
His lips flattened, but he didnât deny that. After all his encounters with bullies in school, he had to know that better than she.
âIf we have to, weâll request that the adjudicator send a letter home to verify we are who we say we are,â Kaylina said. âI hate the thought of needing help, but Grandma will vouch for us.â
âItâll take three weeks for round-trip communication.â
âThree weeks when theyâll have to keep us alive. Time for us to come up with something.â
âAll right.â His bleak expression didnât suggest agreement, but he probably had nothing better.
The lock turned, and Kaylina stepped back.
When the door opened, Lord Vlerionâs broad shoulders filled the frame. Damn it, where was that adjudicator? Someone impartial and fair who would hear them?
Vlerion carried his sword in hand, like an executionerâs axe ready to swing.
When his cold gaze met hers, Kaylina stepped back before she caught herself. Irritation swept through her, more at her automatic response than at anything heâd done. But her brother would point out it was logical to get out of the way of someone with a huge sword.
His face impassive, Vlerion walked into the cell, making room for an older man in ranger blacks to step in after him. A few grays dotted the new manâs brown hair, but he looked lean and fit under his armor.
When Vlerion turned, light from the corridor allowed her to see the red lump on the back of his head. Kaylina couldnât regret hitting him, not when heâd been going after Frayvar with a sword, but there might be repercussions.
With a sword and dagger belted at his waist and more visible scars than Vlerion had, the second ranger looked as fair and impartial as a badger defending a cub. He surveyed them as Vlerion rested the tip of his long blade on the stone floor and waited.
âThis is the girl who hit you on the head?â Was that amusement in the new rangerâs eyes?
âShe is.â Vlerion touched something tucked into his belt opposite a dagger. Her sling.
Kaylinaâs fingers twitched involuntarily toward it. Not because she longed to brain himâmuchâbut because she couldnât lose Grandpaâs gift.
âShe wants to do it again.â Yes, that was amusement in the other manâs eyes.
Kaylina lowered her hand.
âMany do,â was all Vlerion said.
The older ranger considered Kaylina and Frayvar. âTheyâre young for spies and murderers.â
Vlerion eyed Kaylina. âSheâs close to my age.â
âYouâre young too.â Humor glinted in the rangerâs brown eyes again.
Dare they hope he would be more reasonable than the uptight lord?
âCaptain.â The first hint of emotion entered Vlerionâs voiceâmild indignation. âFor six years, Iâve patrolled the Evardor Mountains and climbed the Twin Sisters to fight the Scourge beasts and Karâruk spies. Iâve seen as many battles as your gray-haired veterans.â
âAs some of my gray-haired veterans, perhaps.â The rangerâthe captain of the rangers?âtouched a scar along his jaw.
âThe Virts have used children as spies before,â Vlerion said.
Kaylina wanted to bristle at being lumped in with childrenâshe was twenty-one, damn itâbut she managed to keep her mouth shut.
âThey have, but we arenât at war with the entire proletariat, and we canât assume everyone who isnât a noble is an enemy.â The captainâs jaw tightened in a clench. âTheyâre our own people.â
âEven those who donât raise weapons against the nobility would cheer to see us burn.â Vlerionâs tone was back to emotionless, but his face conveyed an aloof haughtiness.
âDonât let your heritage define you, Vlerion.â
âIt would be⌠quite impossible for it not to.â Their gazes met with the understanding of some shared knowledge. Or⌠a shared secret?
Whatever it was, Kaylina doubted it had anything to do with her. Deciding she didnât care about their secrets, she raised a finger. âMay we explain what led us to that castle? And who?â
âThe land agent who mysteriously disappeared?â Vlerion asked coolly.
âNaybor was his name. And when armed rangers on giant hairy beasts show up, people disappearing canât be that mysterious.â
That spark of irritationâof dangerâflared in his eyes again.
Kaylina reminded herself not to intentionally goad him. He clearly didnât like her, probably because she was a commoner. That was fine. She didnât like him either. Asshole.
âIâm Captain Targon. Tell me what led you to the cursed castle.â
âHave you the authority to weigh guilt and innocence and release the wrongfully accused from incarceration?â Frayvar asked.
Targon, whom Kaylina had dubbed the more likely of the two to listen, narrowed his eyes. Perceiving the question as disrespect? Maybe his heritage defined him too. Or he at least believed people should bow down to his rank.
âI command the rangers and report to the king,â Targon said. âI carry his authority when it comes to defending Zaldor against threats, foreign and domestic.â
Kaylina held her hand up to keep her brother from speaking again and launched into a more complete version of what had happened since theyâd landed. She was almost surprised when Targon listened. Vlerion also listened, but his eyes said heâd already condemned them as spies.
When she finished, she lifted her hands. âIâm willing to eat that root and answer questions under its influence. Itâs a truth drug, right? If it can clear my name, Iâm especially willing to eat it, but you canât give it to my brother, okay? Heâs allergic to stuff from the tree it comes from.â Kaylina looked at Vlerion. âThatâs why he ran. Not because he was guilty of anything. He was scared for his life.â
Vlerionâs expression didnât change, and she couldnât tell if he believed her. She looked back to Targon, deeming him the more sympathetic.
âI volunteer to take that root and be questioned,â she repeated, âif you donât give it to my brother.â
âYou will take the root and be questioned whether you volunteer or not,â Vlerion said.
Targon glanced at him but didnât naysay the statement.
âI thought it might be helpful if you had my cooperation instead of me biting you when you try to shove something in my mouth.â Kaylina bared her teeth at Vlerion.
âShe definitely wants to hit you again,â Targon told him.
âYes,â Vlerion agreed with an indifferent shrug.
Targon focused on Kaylina. âYou two do look like siblings, even if youâre a lot more appealing than he is.â
Frayvar lifted a finger, as if he might object, but he lowered it and said nothing. Good. Kaylina didnât want him drawing attention to himself. She didnât want to be called appealing by a scarred-up forty-year-old guy, but he hadnât ogled her chest or her ass, so she could deal with it.
âFor now,â Targon continued, âunless your answers lead us to believe thereâs more that we must unearth, Iâm willing to question you in lieu of your brother.â
âGood,â she said. âIâm ready.â
Targon held up a hand. âHave you been given kafdari root before?â
âNo.â Only after she spoke did Kaylina realize the question might have been a test. If she had said yes, would Targon have believed sheâd been in trouble with the law before?
âThen youâre not aware of its side effects and how you might react under the influence.â
âIt just makes you tell the truth, doesnât it?â Kaylina looked at her brother.
âAssuming youâre not allergic to it,â Frayvar said, âit lowers your inhibitions, like alcohol. But itâs even more potent. It makes you eager to share information, but it also removes any reluctance to hide or sublimate your emotions. Depending on the person, its use can result in weeping or rage or both.â
Great. Kaylina couldnât wait to bare her soul and weep in front of the stone-faced Vlerion and his boss.
Or was the ranger captain his boss? He ought to be, but they stood shoulder to shoulder, and theyâd bantered like equals.
âThe kid knows a lot about it for someone who isnât a spy,â Vlerion noted.
âHe knows a lot about everything.â Kaylina balled her fingers into a fist, frustration with the situation still simmering. âHe reads books.â
She kept herself from implying that Vlerion didnâtâor couldnâtâbarely.
âOn roots?â Targon asked mildly.
That humor remained on his face, but his eyes were intent, and she knew he was testing them, waiting to see if they would inadvertently condemn themselves. What was going on in the capital that the rangers were so on edge? That they jumped straight to believing that people accidentally trespassing were spies?
The memory of the dead lord floated into her mind, answering her own question. She wished sheâd spent more time reading the kingdom newspapers of late. Whatever was going on up here was probably being published in all the major cities, but sheâd been too immersed in her own world to pay attention.
âHeâs a chef at the Spitting Gull, our familyâs meadery and eating house,â Kaylina said to answer Targonâs question. âIf something is edible, magical or mundane, heâs read about it.â
Frayvar nodded.
âWeâll see.â Targon raised his eyebrows. âDo you still consent to taking the kafdari root and being questioned?â
Vlerion had implied that she would be questioned whether there was consent or not, but maybe those words had been meant to scare her into compliance. Maybe they had some laws about questioning their own people and needed her permission.
Another scream echoed through the stone walls, one of pain. Neither ranger blanched or reacted in any way. Targon continued to watch her intently.
âDid that guy not consent?â Kaylina didnât manage to keep the squeak of alarm out of her voice.
âHe did not. Evdar WedgewickâŚâ Targon paused, watching her eyes. To see if she recognized the name? She didnât. ââŚis a known terrorist leader whoâs been behind explosions around the city that have caused the deaths of innocents, working class and aristocrats. He is being questioned by force since he eluded the effects of the kafdari root and didnât tell us the locations of the Virt bases.â
It was possible to elude the truth drug? Did that mean that her words wouldnât automatically clear her?
Kaylina hoped that wouldnât be the case. She had nothing to hide and wouldnât fight the questioning. But would they believe her? What if the root addled her so much that she couldnât think straight, and she somehow said something that would condemn them?
She looked at Frayvar, but he didnât nod or encourage her in any way. His solemn eyes seemed to say it was up to her.
Since he couldnât be questioned with the root, she had to do this.
âI consent, and Iâm ready.â Kaylina wanted to get away from the sound of a man being tortured and back to fulfilling her dream as soon as possible.
Targon nodded and withdrew something from a pouch on his belt. The cream-colored ball looked like wadded-up chicle. Kaylina assumed powdered kafdari root was mixed into it.
As Targon approached, Vlerion did too, moving to stand behind her.
Kaylina tensed, alarmed by the big men hemming her in.
âVlerion will hold you in case you grow violent under the influence of the root. Itâs for your own good as well as to prevent him from suffering grievous injury at your hands again.â Targon grinned at Vlerion.
He sighed. âDo you have to take so much delight in my bruise?â
Bruise. He probably had a concussion. Kaylina hoped he did.
âYes.â Targonâs grin widened. âHardly anyone ever touches you in a fight.â
âIf that were true, Iâd have a prettier face.â
âWerenât those scars from a tangle with your father when you were young? When he wasâŚâ Targon glanced at Kaylina and finished with a vague wave.
âYes.â
âI havenât seen anyone hit you since your first days of training. Youâll pardon me if I wish Iâd seen her crack you in the head.â
âJankarr allowed it because he wanted to see how good her aim is. I would appreciate it if you put him on potato-peeling duty for a few days.â
Listening to them banter almost made Kaylina forget about the screams and think she and Frayvar might be okay, that these men were reasonable enough to believe the truth and let them walk. But when Vlerion stepped closer, his torso brushing her back, and gripped her upper arms, her anxiety returned. The tall men shared looks over her head, the humor in Targonâs eyes shifting to grimness as he raised the cream-colored ball.
Something told Kaylina this wouldnât go well.
~
If you’re enjoying the story, please pick up a copy of Shadows of Winter to read on. Thanks!